The Price Of Fame
by shmandiix
Summary: 6 years after Noras death.Derek has found success with his band,& Casey is on her way to becoming a very well known journalist.They're forced back into each others lives,but will they find a way to stick together this time or lose each other for good?
1. Prologue

So, this is my first Life with Derek fic. I've read tons.. but I've always written for One Tree Hill & That 70s Show.  
Figured I'd try this out though. So I hope you like it.  
Please review.  
Oh, this is a future fic, by the way :)

I'm pretty sure the entire fic will be told in Caseys point of view.

**RATED:M**  
Though not in the prologue, its rated M for drug use, language, sexual content, violence, among other things.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Life With Derek, if I did you wouldn't be reading this, you'd be watching it in a movie theater!

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**The Price Of Fame;**

_"It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness.  
__We have no scar to show from happiness. We learn so little from peace."_

— Chuck Palahniuk

**Prologue.**

Its funny, people always say, "you don't know how much something means to you until its gone". I never realized how true those words were until six years ago, I don't think any of us did. We took it all for granted. We fought against our family, because at the end of the day, we knew we'd always have it. Or at least we thought we would.  
I can't say that everything happened so fast, because it didn't. In fact, it was the longest eight months of my entire life. Eight months I wish I could block out of my memory, but I'm reminded of it every night in my dreams.

We got the news when I was seventeen. This is back when I thought my family was invincible. I swore if we fought hard enough, we could make it through anything. I was a senior in high school, three months away from graduation. I was already set to go off to Queens in the fall. My life was just beginning, no one would've ever guessed that hers was ending.  
We didn't understand how it could happen to us, I'm still not completely sure I understand now. She was as healthy as ever, the only reason she went to the doctor was for a simple routine check up.

She never smoked, never stayed outside in the sun without sunscreen for too long. She never put herself at risk. How was she suppose to know that the little tiny fucking mole on her thigh would ultimately kill her?

At first they said it could be nothing, they just needed to run some tests to make sure. Two months, thirteen doctors, three hospitals, one fucking tiny mole. As the two months went by, she started showing other symptoms. She was in bed all the time, and yet she was always so tired. Everything she ate she threw up, to the point where they had to tube feed her because she had no appetite. Though she was always a thin woman, she got so frail, like she was simply made of skin and bones.  
It was finally confirmed. Stage three Melanoma. On the bright side, with treatment there was a 25 to 60% chance of survival.  
Too bad it spread so quickly.  
She stopped responding to treatment three days before my high school graduation, they gave her no more than four more months to live.  
I was suppose to be our class speaker, I passed it on to the next person in line.  
It was suppose to be the time of my life, but all I could think about was the time we all had left.

I didn't go to college that fall, neither did Derek. We stayed home, tried to help out as much as we could. We both got jobs, and after summertime tried our best to help out our younger siblings. We made their breakfast, took them to school, did their laundry, picked them up, helped them with their homework, made dinner, and tried to explain the best that we could that no matter what, we'd all still be a family. We both knew in our hearts that it was a lie.

My mother passed on October 19th, 2009. The doctors gave her four months to live, she fought with everything in her for five of the longest months of my life.

I guess you can say that Derek and I grew closer in those last months. We were all the support each other had. We tried our best to help our younger siblings, and give George the strength to survive losing his wife, and somewhere along the way we built a bond that we thought would never be broken.

I wish I could say we still kept in touch, but again, that would be a lie. We tried for a while, but after six months of emails, phone calls, and text messages we drifted a part. Everyone thought it was best if Lizzie went to live with our father, and so she wouldn't have to be alone I went with her. I started NYU the following year, and majored in journalism.

October 28th, 2009, was the last time I was Derek Venturi in person.  
And even six years later, I'll never forget the feeling I got when we said our goodbyes.  
He hugged me tight, and for a brief moment it felt like all of my pain was gone.  
"Don't forget me Princess" he whispered, so quietly that I barely heard him myself.  
He closed the door to my fathers car, and tears fell from my eyes as I promised myself I wouldn't.  
I never have.

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The first chapter will be up with in a few days, please review!


	2. New Assignment

Thanks for the support guys :) I have a basic outline of where this story is going, but if you have any ideas let me know & I'll try to add them in somewhere.  
This chapter isn't as long as I was planning it to be, but I wanted to get it out here for you!  
Review :)

Hope you like it!

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**The Price Of Fame**

**New Assignment;**

It was October again, the month I'd come to hate. While many loved it, especially in New York City, where Halloween was completely overdone, it only reminded me of the pain I was still trying to forget.

But it was only day one in the longest month in the year.

I plastered a smile on my face as I walked through the doors of Riot Magazine, this place was my life.

"Morning Casey" Melinda, one of the three secretaries at the front smiled, waving to me as I passed her on the way to my office. Any other day I would've stayed to chat for a second, but today was different. I'd been here for almost four years now, I was hired as an assistant while I was still attending NYU, when the magazine was first created. I slowly moved my way up to getting a few articles published every once in a while, to now, where I wrote at least one story an issue.

It was your typical teen magazine, the latest trends, the most scandalous gossip, and the up and coming stars of TV, movies and music. It was everything I use to be so against in high school, and now it was all I focused on. In the four years the magazine had been on stands, it had become one of the most popular teen magazines across the United States and Canada, and now working our way over to Europe. One behind story was about to change the magazine, and my life forever. I didn't know many of the details yet, but this was going to be the most personal article I'd ever write.

"Casey, the meeting is starting in ten minutes" Rachelle, my person assistant told me as I walked into my office, "Lizzie called and cancelled lunch today, she said she couldn't reach you on your cell but something important came up at school"

I simply nodded, I knew that was a lie. I knew when we made plans for lunch that she would bail, it was that time of the year. As much as I hated it, every October we seemed to avoid each other when we could.

"Thanks Rach, will you grab me a bottle of water while I get ready for the meeting?" I questioned, she didn't say anything, she was out the door in seconds.

I sat down, rummaging through my purse and finally came across what I was looking for. I opened the pill bottle and let the tiny pill fall into the palm of my hand, just as Rachelle was returning with my water. She handed it to me, and I took the anxiety pill quickly, just like I did before every other big meeting.

I'd been on the pills for five years, after suffering from major panic attacks when I first moved to New York, I always took more in October.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, I gathered my notes and walked nervously towards the conference room. A few people had already arrived, one of the bigger photographers, the junior editor, and a few of the smaller article writers. I took my normal seat, which was next to the junior editor, and across from my competition. One by one the table filled, until finally the editor, and creator of Riot, Cadence Hartford, bounced through the doors with a grin on her face.

"You all know that todays meeting is going to change Riot Magazine forever" she began, her grin growing wider with anticipation, "this will change all of your lives, but one of our journalists is about to get the biggest break of their career" she looked between me, and Justin, the only other writer who had been here since the beginning. She was nearly jumping up and down with excitement, which didn't help my nerves. "We have been given access to one of the biggest new bands in rock music today, a six week backstage pass, exclusive interviews, all leading up to their first headlining tour, kicking off in New York City in only two months"

At this point I nearly lost the ability to breathe, I knew exactly the band she was talking about. Not only was their tour so talked about, but it was a band that I had followed since high school. I could hear the gasps around me, and feel the blood draining from my face.

"D Rock has not only agreed to let us document every detail of the weeks leading up to their first show, but has turned down offers from, Alternative Press, NY Rock, and even Rolling Stone, requesting us personally" Cadence was nearly squealing from excitement, "in fact, they've requested one of you by name to do the story"

I closed my eyes for only a second, and I could feel my heart beating faster with each word my boss spoke. When I opened my eyes, everyone was looking back and forth between Justin and I. Justin, always overly confident, had a huge grin spread across his cocky little face, I just looked back to the blonde in her mid thirties, who was setting a folder down in front of me.

"Congratulations Casey" she smiled, and the clapping of the rest of the staff began, even a disappointed Justin was congratulating me. I forced a smile as I stood to hug the woman who had taken so many chances on me in the past four years. All I wanted to do was cry. In fact, I could already feel the tears begin to develop in my eyes. I kept my smile though, trying to play the tears off as tears of joy, or excitement.

Once the excitement died down, the photographer for the story was decided, which had been left in my hands. I had chosen Kellan, a man a few years older than me who had been the photographer on nearly all of my stories. Cadence also gave me the details on the story, which would obviously become the story of a rock band who struggled for years, and finally made their way to fame. I was told I'd leave in exactly a week for Toronto, where I would spend six weeks documenting every move the band made. Interviewing all of them, one by one.

In exactly a week, my reoccurring nightmare for the past five years would be my reality.

I'd be face to face with Derek Venturi once again.

The rest of the day past in a haze, but work finally ended, and it was time to go back to my apartment and face what the next week would bring.

Walking in the door, I could smell dinner cooking, I faked another smile as I made my way into the kitchen.

"Hey you" said quietly, and the blonde man at the stove turned to greet me with a kiss.

"How was the meeting?" he quickly asked, and I knew my face now looked panicked, he was not going to take this well.

"It went great" I admitted, sighing a bit as I looked to the ground, "Benson,there are some things we need to talk about.."

"What is it Case?" Ben questioned, now looking worried.

"We need to put the wedding on hold" I quickly told him, seeing his look of worry change to confusion, "I just got assigned to do this amazing story, one that will completely put my name on the map as writer.."

"What does that have to do with the wedding?" he sounded hurt, his green eyes looked broken.

"I have to go to Canada for six weeks" I finally told him, I knew the questions would begin. He didn't know everything about my past. He knew about my mom though, he knew a little about my once step family, but he didn't know how close Derek and I had once been.

"Canada?" he looked worried, but I didn't know if it was for me, or if he was worried about losing me.

"The big story that Cadence was working on was a six week all access pass to D Rock as they get ready to start their first headlining tour" I explained more,and a look of realization hit him.

"D Rock, as it your brothers band?" the word brother hit a nerve in my body and I flinched.

"Hes not my brother" I snapped, not meaning too, "he use to be my step brother, now hes nothing more than an old friend" my voice softened a bit, but I know I still sounded harsh.

"Okay.." he was obviously confused by my reaction, like I could honestly tell the man I was going to marry that I had once been in love with my step brother, especially now, when I was going to be spending six weeks with him.

"this is a huge opportunity for me.. please don't be upset" I was almost begging, "we haven't sent out the invitations yet, so we can reschedule the wedding for January or February"

I could tell he was hurt, he hadn't wanted to wait that long to get married in the first place. I'd already drug it out over a year, most of the reason because it was still hard for me to picture myself getting married without my mother there. Finally I saw his face soften a bit as he looked back up and once again met my eyes.

"I'll check for an opening at the venue for after the new year" he finally said in almost a whisper, in his own way giving me his blessing.

I smiled as he turned back towards the stove and started to finish dinner. I was a very lucky girl, he did everything for me. We'd been together since my freshmen year in college, and I don't think I could've made it through the last few years without him by my side. He was exactly the kind of man I pictured myself being with when I grew up. Smart, successful, from a well known family, my dream husband, and I loved him, more than anyone could imagine.

I could tell by the silence that he was still upset, and was trying very hard not to mention it. I was thankful he wasn't making things harder for me, even though I knew six weeks away from each other was going to be difficult.

I made my way behind him, wrapping my arms around him as realization finally hit me. A lot could happen in six weeks. I could sense a smile on his face as my hands crept up his chest, and I stood on my tippy toes to place kisses on his neck.

"I love you" I whispered, and he finally turned around to face me.

"I love you too Case, more than you could ever know" he promised, looking me dead in the eyes. I smiled, he really did know exactly what to say. My hands trailed back up his chest as I went in for a kiss, this one much deeper than the one I was greeted with. My tongue teased his lips, and his mouth formed a smile, a smile I knew very well.

"What about dinner?" he questioned quietly and I just shrugged, raising my eyebrows.

"I wasn't all that hungry anyways, but you can help me work up an apatite" I teased, and with in seconds I was thrown over his shoulder and being toted quickly to our bedroom. How the hell was I going to survive six weeks without him?


End file.
